Archive for May, 2010
We’re Crowdsourcing Plans for TBD
Posted by ctouhey in Crowdsourcing on May 12, 2010
While we were working on a name for our new project (we settled on TBD), we used a lot of different names to refer to it, including, well, TBD, nonameyet, and many others.
At one point, a tweep suggested that we crowdsource the name, seeking suggestions on Twitter. Alas, that could never work. As soon as one person suggested a name with an original URL, another would be parking that URL in hopes of getting rich quick.
But now we’re ready to crowdsource. Our growing staff is working on plans for TBD, but one of those plans is going to be for continuing engagement with the community on a wide range of topics. So we’ll start that engagement by asking what you think we should do on a variety of topics:
General content. What do you want to read, watch and do at our site and watch on our TV news channel? What kind of information do you need about your neighborhood, local government, community organizations, schools, entertainment, traffic, weather, news, etc.? Another example — food and dining. Are you happy with critic-driven coverage or would you prefer something a bit more democratic? What sort of factors do you consider when making a restaurant choice? Sports is another area of curiosity here. What do you want out of regional sports news that you’re not getting now?
Blogs. We’ll be building a network of local bloggers. What are your favorite blogs about news, issues and community life in and around Washington? If you’re a local blogger, we’re interested in your thoughts about how a blogger network should work: What should you do for us? What should we do for you? What, if any, standards should we have for member blogs?
Conversation. How do you like participating in and reading online conversations? Do you prefer commenting without using your real name? Does your work keep you from commenting using your real name? Do you like the freewheeling discussion that comes with anonymous commenting? Do you prefer discussion where people stand behind their views by using their real names? Would you like the ability to block individual users from your view, so you don’t read their comments again in the future? Would you like user profiles of commenter, with links to previous comments and any information the users wish to provide?
Social media. We will engage with the community regularly through social media. What are your favorite social platforms and how can we serve you effectively through them? What are social-media practices that annoy you?
Mobile content. What information do you need when you are commuting, attending meetings and otherwise on the go? How can we best serve you through our mobile site and mobile applications?
Newsletters. What kind of information would you like to receive daily or weekly in an email newsletter? Would you be interested in an e-mail roundup of blog posts from your neighborhood, entertainment offerings or sports tidbits?
Nationals Bloggers Present Opportunity for TBD
Posted by ctouhey in Uncategorized on May 11, 2010
It’s a no-brainer that the Washington Redskins deliver more web traffic than the Washington Nationals. There are far more Redskins fans, their fans are more passionate, and the Nationals fans haven’t had much to cheer about in the team’s short stint in Washington.
But we don’t believe in no-brainers at TBD, which is why community host Daniel Victor says in his blog that the lowly Nationals are as important to TBD as the far-more-popular Redskins. His reasoning:
There isn’t as much room for growth in the Redskins tubesphere—the bloggers are well-established, and if anything their fans might say there’s an over-saturation of coverage. Getting a seat at that table requires strong elbows and a creative playbook. We plan to utilize both, but we’re long behind in that race.
Contrast that with the Nationals, whose fans want to see the team grow and could use all the help they can get. In creating a network of Nationals bloggers and providing them exposure (and revenue) they haven’t seen elsewhere, TBD can position itself at the center of the Nationals online universe.
This is almost certainly our only chance to do that.
Since the Nationals came to DC in 2005, they’ve been a lousy team with few fans. But I wouldn’t bet on it staying that way forever. I don’t think they’ll ever develop a Redskins-like fandom, but there will be a lot of website visits to be had when they finally put together a pennant run one of these years.
If we take them lightly now based on current site stats, all those future Nationals fans will instead go to whatever site took the opportunity that we slept on. Or, we can establish ourselves now before it’s needed, and enjoy our long-standing reputation when it really matters someday.
ARLnow.com to Team Up With TBD
Posted by jbrady in Partnerships on May 5, 2010
We’re thrilled to announce that Scott Brodbeck’s ARLNow.com has volunteered to be the first of many partners in our blog network. A quick look at the site makes it pretty clear why Scott and I think this is a terrific match: It has the pace and the velocity we want TBD to have.
Last Friday, Scott filed his first blog entry at 5:29 a.m. When a van crashed into a tree and caused a partial closure of Glebe Road in Arlington, Scott was ready on ARLNow.com with photos of the scene and an update when the road reopened two hours later. Other stories — a foot chase in Crystal City, impending Metro delays, a school budget meeting and a volunteer opportunity — popped up throughout the morning, leaving one to wonder when Scott sleeps. Clearly, it’s a labor of love, a round-the-clock operation.
Developing a concept for a blog isn’t easy. Executing the idea is even harder. So I was surprised when I glanced at ARLNow.com, which only launched in January. In a matter of weeks, Scott has built a useful, informative news site that touches on everything from breaking news to transportation to the new local bar.
ARLnow.com is exactly the kind of blog we’re itching to work with as we move toward launch. We want to give you the news that is important to you, whether it’s about a specific block in your neighborhood or a topic you’re passionate about.
Two Anchors Aweigh on TBD’s TV Project
Posted by schaggaris in People on May 5, 2010
Morris Jones
We’re excited to announce that the roster of talented newscast anchors for TBD’s TV side has doubled.
Joining our current anchors — Melanie Hastings and Dave Lucas — are two folks who have strong TV ties to the mid-Atlantic region: Morris Jones and Katherine Amenta.
For those who have been in the Washington, D.C. area for a while, you may recognize Morris from his many years as the anchor of the “Fox 5 News at Ten.” He spent almost two decades at Fox 5 before moving to Sinclair Broadcasting, where he was the main anchor for their NewsCentral project. The Emmy award-winning Jones will man the evening shift for us.
Katherine Amenta comes to us from WMDT, the ABC affiliate in Salisbury, Md., where she anchored and reported for the past three and a half years. She will anchor in the mornings and will co-anchor with Melanie for a good part of our revamped morning newscast.
Amenta hails from the Garden State — New Jersey — and is a proud alumna of Villanova University.
Beaujon to Helm TBD Arts Coverage
A big chunk of TBD’s offerings will focus on the vast world of local arts and entertainment. We’ll cover music and movies and theater and museums and galleries and dance and restaurants and everything else entertainy — hopefully in a way that’ll prompt you to come back again and again. That’s where Andrew Beaujon enters the picture. He’ll start as TBD’s A&E editor on May 10. Beaujon has huge experience in this area: He was a senior contributing writer at Spin magazine, worked for Martha Stewart Living and Microsoft Sidewalk and wrote about music for the Washington Post and the Washington City Paper, where he has been serving as managing editor. He also wrote a book on Christian rock, titled Body Piercing Saved My Life. (Da Capo Press; 2006). Whether he’s writing about wildlife or the business of media, Beaujon attacks things with an acid sense of humor. When asked what area of arts he’d focus on at TBD, Beaujon replied, “I think probably a lot of indie death metal — nothing but that. That’s been an area that’s been underserved. The Web’s all about niches; so I’m really looking forward to giving those people a home on the Web.”
Photo courtesy of Darrow Montgomery of the Washington City Paper